Out of Time
but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin. Mark 3:29 (with parallels in Matthew 12:31-32 and Luke 12:10)
Blasphemes – Do you think that God always forgives? Contemporary Christianity often presents the “all-forgiving” God, implying that no matter what you do, this God will always accept your insults and disobedience and forget about them. If that’s the God you serve, you won’t find Him in the Bible. Jesus makes it as plain as any man ever could. There are some sins that will never be forgiven. Obviously, it’s very important to understand what these sins are – and to be certain they are never part of our lives.
The only way we can understand what Jesus is really saying is to look at the Old Testament Hebrew background. It’s not as easy as you might think. First, the Greek word here (blasphemeo) occurs in only a few places in the Old Testament and none of those are directly connected to blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. The Hebrew word is ne’asa. It means to treat someone who formerly offered favor with disrespect and disdain. There are a lot of synonyms in Hebrew. They include rebellion against authority, disobedience, hatred, disbelief, forsaking commitments and scornful or slanderous speech. It’s important to notice that the concept of blasphemy is not limited to what I say. It’s about what I do, what I feel and what I think. To blaspheme God is to treat Him in a way that denies that He is the Supreme Authority. I can do that in all sorts of ways, most of which have nothing to do with swearing.
Jesus begins His dialogue with a reference to the strong man. This places the context in the book of Isaiah (see Isaiah 49:24). The story is about the strong man’s house, but the issue is about authority. When the scribes challenge Jesus’ power to heal and cast out demons, they suggest that Jesus does these mighty acts by Satan’s authority. Jesus rebukes them by arguing that no one undoes the bondage produced by Satan by using Satan’s power. In order to bring about restoration, Satan (the strong man) must first be bound. Of course, we could focus on the healing and restoration in this incident, but that really isn’t the point. The point is that the scribes refuse to recognize God’s glorification and sovereignty when it is plainly demonstrated. After all, Jesus performs a miracle of enormous good. It happens right before their eyes. Yet they reject the evidence and ascribe the power to the enemy. This is a case of deliberate disbelief and rebellion. Jesus says something terrifying about this behavior. He says that this particular kind of sin cannot be forgiven.
We know that God does forgive our sinful behavior, attitudes and words. So, what’s different here? The only place in the Old Testament where the idea of grieving the Holy Spirit occurs is in Isaiah 63:10. When we see what is happening in this passage in Isaiah, we will understand why grieving the Holy Spirit is an unforgivable sin.
Certainly every scribe knew this text. It is a declaration of God’s great compassion and saving mercy. God Himself is speaking. He says that He came to heal the afflictions of His people. He came to save them. But He discovered that they rebelled against Him. In spite of His goodness, they rejected Him. This is not a single occurrence to disbelief. This is a long history of disrespect and hatred for the things of God. As a result, something terrible happens. God becomes their enemy. God’s lovingkindness is turned to wrath, not because God’s character changes but because these men consistently reject God’s grace to the point where they are no longer capable of repentance. When that happens, there is nothing left for them but judgment.
The Old Testament gives us examples of men whose hardened hearts leave them in this pitiful state. Pharaoh, the citizens of Sodom and the Amalekites are examples. They aren’t the only ones. Jesus tells these scribes that it is possible to tread on God’s mercy so long that the tide changes forever. His warning is just as true today. God forgives. There is no doubt about that. But unless we embrace that forgiveness, we start down the road of a hardened heart. And at the end of that road, God is my enemy.
Topical Index: Forgiveness
